Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 121 136, 1988 0895-9811/88 $3.00+0.

00
Printed in Great Britain Pergamon Press plc

The g e o l o g y of late Cenozoic marine terraces

(tablazos) in northwestern Peru
T. J. DEVRIES
College of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA*
(Received for publication December 1987)
Abstract--Raised Late Cenozoicmarine terraces, known as tablazos, extend along the northern Peruvian
coast from Morrope to Mancora. Most of the deposits once assigned to the Mancora Tablazo are best
referred to a newly named Taime Formation, which is divisible into three members. Four transgressive-
regressive/progradational sequences are identified, each characterized by wave-dominated, tide-domin-
ated, or lagoonal deposition, depending on the coast's configuration. Late in the last depositional sequence,
lagoonal deposition was favored by asymmetric uplift and tectonically induced offshore shoaling.
Sedimentation increased during early phases of the uplii~, then diminished as the terraced shore became
isolated from sediment sources. Age determinations for the Taime Formation and younger tablazos are
based on mollusks. Species found in dated Pliocene sediments ofwestern South America occur in the Taime
Formation and, rarely, on the Mancora Tablazo. No Pliocene species were found on younger terraces. The
species composition of molluscan assemblages and inferred tectonic history suggest an early Pleistocene
age for the Mancora Tablazo and uppermost Taime Formation.
R e s u m e n - - L a terrazas marinas conocidas como tablazos, levantadas en el Cenozoico tardio,se extienden a
lo largo de la costa norte de Peru desde Morrope a Mancora. La mayoria de estos depSsitos, previamente
asignados al Tablazo Mancora, se asignan a [a aqui designada Formaci6n Taime, divisible en tres miem-
bros. Se hart identificado cuatro secuencias progradantes transgresivas/regresivas, cads una caracterizada
por depositaci6n dominada pot oleaje,dominada pot marea, o de albdfera, dependiendo de la configuracidn
de la costa. Durante la porci6n mas superior de la ultima secuencia deposicional, se favoreci6 la deposita-
ci6n en ambiente de albtifera pot levantamiento asim~trico y somerizaci6n inducida tectonicamente. La
sedimentaci6n se increment6 durante las etapas inicialesdel levantamiento, y luego disminuy6 a medida
que la costa aterrazada qued6 aislada de las fuentes de aporte. Las determinaciones de edad pars la Forma-
ci6n Taime y para los tablazos masj6venes estan basadas en moluscos. Especies encontradas en sedimentos
del oeste de Sudam6rica datados como Pliocenos, se encuentran en la Formaci6n Taime y, raramente, en el
Tablazo Mancora. No se hun encontrado especies Pliocenas en las terrazas mas j6venes. La composicibn
especlfica de las asociaciones de moluscos y la historia tectSnica inferida sugieren una edad Pleistocena
temprana para el Tablazo Mancora y pars la porcidn superior de la Formaci6n Taime.

INTRODUCTION

RAISED MARINE terraces, locally known as tablazos,

occupy m u c h of the coastal p l a i n of n o r t h w e s t e r n
P e r u between Morrope and Mancora (Fig. 1). Six
decades have passed since B o s w o r t h (1922), S u t e r
(1927), and S t e i n m a n n (1929) discussed the signifi-
cance of these tablazos. Original studies since that
time have had a limited scope: geomorphology of ter-
races at Cabo Blanco (Cherry, 1953); listings of fossil
species (Rivera, 1953; Zuniga and Rivero, 1964); and
neotectonics (Sebrier, 1978; DeVries, 1984). O t h e r
t r e a t m e n t s (Iddings and Olsson, 1928; L e m o n and
C h u r c h e r , 1961; Richards, 1962; Travis et al., 1976;
Caldas et al., 1980) have offered no new information
on the tablazos.
This p a p e r p r e s e n t s new sedimentologic, paleonto-
logic, and s t r a t i g r a p h i c data for the tablazos. A new
formation, with three members, is proposed for depo-
sits once considered p a r t of the M a n c o r a Tablazo.
W i t h i n this formation, four depositional s e q u e n c e s
(sensu Vail et al., 1977) are identified. F a u n a l evi-
dence is presented t h a t indicates a Pliocene age for
much of the p r e - M a n c o r a Tablazo section.

*Present address: Earth Sciences and Resources Institute,

University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 USA. Fig. I. Northwestern Peru, showing the principal citiesand towns
cited in the text.
SAES |/~A

121
 !'22 I J l)b:VRlb;,.'-.

~oncoro

Los Orqanos

o,,A
/ /" /" /
CaboBlanc.~ / " ., . /
• /

Slche$ Fault" I • Qmt/"'.- / "/'.~

///,'/
/ I i" ///"
I~/
,'//~I
I' I

Lobito=

Media

Talara \\ - ,

~unto

•re / , / :?~ /

5 I0 15 201 km ~.)~
SCALE BI'OO'W Adapted from maps of PelroPeru and Occidantal Peruene i
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

~ Paleocene ~ I_obitosTablozo ..---- Inferred Fault

~ Cretaceous ~ Talara Tablazo / Fault
r-~
~ MesozoicIntrusiverocks To ,ozo E-ii Ouo,e no.y
~ PaleozoicMetamorphicrocks ~ Eocene Adapled from maps of Pelroperu andOccldamaI Peruana

Fig. 2. Geologic map of northwestern Peru between the Rio Chira and Mancora, the principal field area for this study.

STRATIGRAPHY Pleistocene and the youngest Holocene. On paleonto-

logic grounds, Olsson (1932) concluded that the Man-
Bosworth (1922) discussed four terraces in north- cora Tablazo was Pliocene.
western Peru: Mancora Tablazo (oldest), Talara Tab- Deposits of the Mancora Tablazo (s.l.) are up to 80
lazo, Lobitos Tablazo, and Salina Plains (youngest) meters thick near Cabo Blanco and 20 meters thick
(Figs. 2-4). Bosworth considered the older three to be near Paita (the Paita Stuffe a 'and a " o f Grzybowski,
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru 123

5"30
el o
eo-3o" eo-oo. Taime Formation

The Taime Formation includes strata between the

6°00 •
6"30"
Fig. 3. Distribution of tablazos and pre-Tertiary bedrock near
Bayovar.
1899). In fact, deposits of the Mancora Tablazo (s.s.)
encompass only the upper few meters of coquina. The
remaining section is correlative with the Hornillos
(=Sechura) Formation (Caldas et al., 1980) but re-
quires a new name (the Taime Formation) north of
the Rio Chira because: a) the lithology is vastly dif-
ferent from that south of the Rio Chira, b) the outcrop
is nowhere continuous across the river, and c) basins
north and south of the river experienced different tec-
tonic histories and, consequently, different histories
of sedimentation.
Rio Chira and the town of Mancora that uncon-
formably overlie Paleogene bedrock and unconform-
ably underlie Pleistocene marine terraces. The type
section of the entire formation is on the southern
edge of Quebrada Taime, 5 km south-southwest of E1
Alto (Fig. 5, Locality 267). The formation name uses
a modern cartographic spelling of the s u r n a m e
(Taiman) ofa Piuran oilwell driller (Bosworth, 1922).
The Taime Formation contains fine- to medium-
grained sandstones with numerous horizons of con-
glomerate, shelly sandstone, and balanid coquina.
Most units display a wide variety of physical struc-
tures (crossbeds, parallel lamination, scour-and-fill
structures). The formation can be easily distin-
guished from Paleogene bedrock by its yellow color,
greater porosity, lesser induration, and fauna (when
present). Lithofacies and fauna, however, are similar
to the overlying Mancora Tablazo (s.s.), which lies
above an angular unconformity of less than 0.5 °
(mapped from apparent disconformities). The latter,
however, is coarser grained and usually has a greater
bioclastic component.
The Taime Formation is divided into three mem-
bers; from oldest to youngest, they are the Carrizo,
Golf Course, and El Nuro Members.
The Carrizo Member consists of trough cross-
bedded sandstones, silty sandstones, inverse-normal
graded conglomerates, balanid coquinas, and serpu-
lid aggregates. Gravel beds with poorly sorted, angu-
lar, coarse-grained sandstone constitute the base of
the member. Such beds are limited in extent, being
controlled structurally or depositionally by bedrock
irregularities. Above, coarse-grained debris is usual-

Mancor~~
.oWer Mar'loora
T,bl,,o E1 Nuro Nbr
•¢'----'$$--~
~ .~-~2-.-:$$

Golf Course Hbr

Talar~
°., •

Carrizo Hbr
:i:i:
Tai me Formation

LoM tos Ta blazo

bedrock

see level

Fig. 4. Stratigraphyof lateCenozoicsedimentazT rocksin northwesternPeru.

• '24 l .1 j_tt,: ~:!7l 1,;7+

MANCORA
N

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p~li Lie plmltll

TNARA
0 1
. . 2 .3 4
. 6 .6 ? 8 I
,,,, 1,,0 km
c
SCALE

Fig. 5. Localities of measured sections and fossil collections between Talara and Mancora. Drainages (dotted lines) and principal
roads are also shown. The type section for the Taime Formation in its entirety is Locality 267, 5 km south of E1 Alto. Type sections for
the Carrizo, Golf Course, and El Nuro Members of the Taime Formation are Points A, B, and C, respectively.

ly confined to discrete, widespread horizons, 0.4-1.5 294) located in the upper reaches of Q u e b r a d a Carri-
m e t e r s thick, interbedded with massive finer-grained zo (Fig. 5, Point A).
sandstones. The Golf Course M e m b e r consists p r i n c i p a l l y of
The type section of the Carrizo Member is a syn- pervasively b i o t u r b a t e d massive siltstone and fine-
thesis of closely spaced sections (LocaLities 242,289+ grained sandstone. Hard ledges of m e d i u m - g r a i n e d
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru
sandstone and sandy coquina, 10-30 cm thick, extend
for hundreds of meters through the soft, slope form-
ing siltstone. Balanopterid whale bones are found on
weathered bedding surfaces formed by the ledges.
The type locality of the Golf Course Member (Loca-
lities 326/327) is 3 km northeast of El Alto, Peru,
along the Pan-American Highway (Fig. 5, Point B).
The E1 Nuro Member contains well sorted, med-
ium-grained, crossbedded and rippled cross-lamin-
ated sandstone with lenticular coquinas of Choro-
mytilus valves and barnacles. The change from finer
grained sediments of the underlying Golf Course
Member is usually abrupt.
The type locality of the E1 Nuro Member (Loca-
lities 237, 243) is 2 km east-northeast of Cerro El
Nuro (Fig. 5, Point C). The thickness of the member
decreases steadily to the south as a consequence of
pre-Mancora Tablazo erosion.
Mancora Tablazo
The Mancora Tablazo stretches as a continuous
sheet from the sea cliffs east of Los Organos to Paita,
i n t e r r u p t e d only by Quebrada Honda, Q u e b r a d a
Parifias, and the Rio Chira. It typically includes 6-8
meters of sandy coquina composed of the valves of
Argopecten, Glycymeris, Choromytilus, and bryozoan-
covered Thais and Tegula. Inland, the section thic-
kens to include better sorted sandstones with a fauna
characterized by tropical gastropods. Along the eas-
tern edge of the tablazo outcrop, poorly sorted allu-
vial sandstones and gravels overlie marine deposits.
The surface of the entire Mancora Tablazo is covered
by a set of parallel cobble ridges that extend for sev-
eral kilometers. The ridges are V-shaped; the nor-
thern arm is oriented northeast-southwest, the sou-
thern arm northwest-southeast. Their tectonic signi-
ficance has been discussed by DeVries (1984).
Lower Mancora Tablazo
Cherry (1953) recognized four marine terraces in
the El Alto area - - all younger than the Mancora
Tablazo and older than the Talara Tablazo. In three
cases (his Upper El Alto, Lower El Alto, and Siches
levels), he mistook resistant ledges of sandstone
within the Golf Course Member for terraces. In one
case (the Lower Mancora level), the terrace desig-
nation was deserved. Deposits of the Lower Mancora
Tablazo mantle the surface ofCuesta del Alto (Fig. 5)
and cap isolated hills beside the P a n - A m e r i c a n
Highway 3 km northeast of E1 Alto. Deposits consist
of sorted and unsorted pebbly gravels and coarse-
grained sandstones that are poorly fossiliferous.
These gravels contrast sharply with: a) the Golf
Course Member siltstones that constitute the wave-
abraded terrace platform south of Cuesta del Alto,
and b) the coquinas of the Mancora Tablazo at Cuesta
del Alto (upon which the gravels sit), which were
probably first faulted downward before being flooded
by the Lower Mancora sea.
125
TalaraTablazo
The Talara Tablazo is widest in two places - - east
of Talara (see Fig. 2) and south of Paita (see Fig. 3).
The deposits of cobbles, sandy coquinas, and serpulid
aggregates are everywhere less than 3 meters thick.
Small areas of outcrop occur north of Talara. Cross-
bedded coquinas at Quebrada Chacaliaza were recog-
nized by Bosworth (1922) and crossbedded sand-
stones at Baja E1 Alto by Cherry (1953) (Fig. 5). A
new area of outcrop has been discovered east of Los
Organos, on the flank of the Mancora Tablazo (see
Fig. 2). The deposit, less than 3 meters thick, com-
prises conglomerates and coarse-grained shelly sand-
stone. The molluscan fauna is quite different from
that of the Talara area, with Lyropecten and Conus
replacing Argopecten and Thais as the most promin-
ent genera.
Lobitos Tablazo
The Lobitos Tablazo surface is usually developed
on small promontories along the coast. An 11 km
ridge south of Negritos is the sole exception to this
pattern. Sandy coquinas are more common than cob-
ble beds within Lobitos Tablazo deposits, and poly-
chaete aggregates are unknown. Thickness ranges
from 1 to 3 meters, except near Punta Restin where
5-6 meters ofcrossbedded sandstones are exposed.
Salina Plains
The Salina Plains are most extensive b e t w e e n
Bayovar and the Silla de Paita. Their elevation is no
more than a few meters above sea level. Well sorted
windblown sands are mixed with inner shelf and
beach sands, and all are coated with salt.
SEDIMENTOLOGY
More than 100 sections were measured in the Tai-
me Formation and tablazos (Fig. 5) and correlated
with one another to show the distribution of litho-
facies and reconstruct the history of deposition. The
datum used for correlation and as an approximation
of original planarity within the Taime Formation is
the lower boundary of the basal siltstone of the Golf
Course Member.
Basement
Paleogene topography prior to deposition of the
Taime Formation was mapped (Fig. 6) from the
Taime datum. Two Pliocene capes were identified:
Cabo E1 Nuro (= Cabo Blanco) and Cabo Lobitos. A
doubly indented embayment between the two capes
is named Bahia Taime in the north and Bahia Carri-
zo in the south. Topographic patterns were not dis-
cerned south of Talara owing to a lack of e a s t - w e s t
areal control.
126 T.J. D~.VRIES

N LOS ORGANOS
•
• 25 / 19

Cobo ~,abo El
Blonco Nuro
®
.~.75
~_ 30 e29
40
\
I~ohio
Toime

50

=~ •34

" Bahia

~rrizo •24
e28 123
KEY
• 80181DV Locality and
vertical distance to Tslme datum
v 17.5 .......
Punta Modern coastal featut'e
Punta Fqio-Plelstocene ooestM failure
1:3.5
Punto Cobo el4 • 12 EL ALTO Modem town
Lobitos
Contour (Interval 5 m) on
J Plieoglme baser/tent measured
down from or up l~om (4.) Term• datum
/ 2/ /

" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 .5. / / / ~ C e r r o s

~ ~ /0
3.5

:%, 0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IOkm
~TA I I I I I I I I I I I
LARA SCALE

Fig. 6. Basement topographybeneath the Taime Formation, carved from Paleogenesedimentary rocks.

Bahia Carrizo Taime Formation. Each sequence is genetically divi-

sible into three parts: transgressive, sea level high-
Three depositional sequences (sensu Vail et al., stand, and regressive/progradational. The last part
1977} are represented within the Carrizo Member is usually the thickest. Lithofacies distribution with-
(Fig. 7). A fourth depositional sequence spans the in the lower three sequences is affected by the degree
upper Carrizo M e m b e r and the remainder of the of shelter once afforded by Cabo Lobitos.
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru 127

The first depositional sequence (DepSeq-1) com-

mences with basal large cobbles and a fining-up
succession (transgressive phase) of pebbles, balanid-
rich sandstone, and fine-grained sandstone with less
O balanid debris. Poorly sorted sandstones (0.9 m) with
N
m in situ pelecypods (Tagelus, Dosinia, Panopea) mark
the onset of shoaling water (progradational phase).
b- DepSeq-1 ends with a coarsening-up sequence of gra-
vel overlain by medium cobbles.
0 DepSeq-2 also commences with a basal pebble and
O
c cobble bed, perhaps representing the outer frame-
:E work of a cobbly lower beach (Bluck, 1967). Cobble
beds are overlain with fine-grained sandstones, fos-
siliferous (Ensis, Tagelus, Dosinia) to the west (off-
shore) and bioturbated and gypsiferous to the east
(onshore; high-stand phase). DepSeq-2 consists pri-
.Q
E marily of coarsening-up sequences (progradational
phase). The succession of physical structures (Table
:E
1) resembles shoreface/foreshore progradational suc-
o
:3 cessions described along modern and Pleistocene
z wave-dominated shorelines in Oregon, USA (Clifton
et al., 1971; Hunter et al., 1979).
DepSeq-3 is distinguished by the first prograda-
=, tion of an inferred barrier bar or spit. Basal litho-
logies (Panopea colonies, serpulid aggregates, and
Or) cobble beds) reflect varying degrees of shelter pro-
-. Q.
® vided by Cabo Lobitos (Fig. 8). Silty sandstones
(high-stand/early progradational stage) overlie the
0 basal beds. The associated fossil fauna (Pitar, Mu-
o linia, Ostrea, Leptopecten) changes according to dis-
o tance from the paleo-shoreline and through time,
presumably reflecting former changes of exposure
and maximum water depth. Disarticulated shells are
concentrated in the uppermost silty sandstones, win-
nowed from a local source by waves in shallower
water. Sandier beds contain in situ valves of Tagelus
lelld Reef and Dosinia, together with the gastropod Bursa.
The sequence culminates with a meter-thick mas-
sive coquina of Megabalanus (progradational/regres-
g sire phase) whose well sorted fragments are 2-3 mm
o 2 in diameter. The bed is widespread but restricted to
...- western (offshore) sections. Calcretes are found in-
L.
a: land, probably where older coquinas had become
(J emergent and thus exposed to dissolution by meteoric
!
waters.
O" The predominance of balanid coquina in western
0
(n sections suggests that the balanid debris accumu-
Q.
G) lated beyond the shelter of Cabo Lobitos. The debris
C3 probably came from colonies attached to small sub-
~d- littoral outcrops of wave-swept Paleogene bedrock.
0 rock Modern ecological counterparts exist on the Peruvian
inner shelf (BELCO Company personnel, pers. com-
] SIItstone ~ Annel[d Reef
mun., 1981). Channels in the same unit on the north
~ Fine ... i'~ Mollusks flank of Cabo Lobitos, filled with barnacle fragments
and shells of a diverse molluscan assemblage, are
Medium ss. ['~ Barnacle fragments
evidence of rapid (tidal?) flow between protected and
Coarse ss. ~ Cross-bedding, ripples open marine environments, suggesting t h a t the
Gravel ~ Burrows
Megabalanus bed might be the base of a former
barrier that lay seaward of a lagoon in Bahia Carrizo.
Fig. 7. Columnar section of Locality 242/289, type section of the
DepSeq-4 includes basal anastomosing serpulid
Carrizo Member (Taime Formation). DepSeq-1, discussed in the aggregates with embedded Lithophaga tubes and
text, is not shown in the figure. associated epibionts. A fining-up sequence (trans-
2~ ,t I)(cV~ll<s

,291

• < "~ q : -- q294/e293 *~24

PITAF~ ~9,* I - i l / s21 '
SILTSTONFS i
!
",,'" \ ~ J \ ~295/ ,/ , 4 FINE 295 / ,
279" -\ "-. / ..,~.~/ , GRAVEL •348 / : ~34.8
/
\-. ~ ~ PO~YCHAETE
~79 ~ ........... ,• ..... y. J
ae_ \~ "~ REEF / 2 _ 8 0 ~/ ANDEAN
Q - ~"-- ~ I " ~ COBBLES

" - ~ PANOPEA 3)6 )r" /

/d . ~GRAVE'~L~ / Y l ./' l/ • 298
! ~2 ..........
f ~ ....... :5 6
. ~ -~ ?'~
• 298 /d '
,
/ ~ . ....... ~. t.-" , I PELECYPOD ~ / / "// =325
• i
/
/ r,NE I ~f~ / .,'
" , \ " ~ _ _ ¢ _ .... / ]/
SANDSTONES
\ "- "'"- 278e~. / 297 l / /
"-. \ - \ " ~ "/ " /
~ /. \'-. / <" . '~ ......... ~ .~ / ,-" c3\/ , 2Sl /
\.->'~ "'~ ~ 299 <~ // "e28)
e ~ • ~ ...... ~/ ,

rULEI 0 4 j ,
./ Comeut (2 m tmerva=l)
3
" ~ -- -- N -'-- J__ -~'--- '
' ................ ./~61 LocaWt~IIO/81DV --
ii.,r/icl of O l p l e q - 2 /~ SCA | E
sed*~entl ~ bedro¢~ |
" j Conlour {2 m kliltwld)
[ lurlace of l o w ~
N 0 I ~ 3 km O e ~ l e ¢ - 3 meas~etl
T L~ i l i l i l dowll from Tattoo
SCALE I%r~,Oon datum

B
).

" ~ • V /\ / /// I / ! !

\ ~ /' 4' // i

Fig. 8. The distribution of three s t a g e s of DepSeq-3

sediments and fauna in Bahia Carrizo: A) basal facies; B)
lower facies; C) middle facies. Protection afforded by Cabo
%,,, / / / , Lobitos (note dashed shoreline to south in A varied during
transgression, affecting both substrate and faunal assem-
blages.

8 ........ ~ / - -~ "" ~ • 2 0 2 / ,.
6 .......... ~¢- --- "
4 -- / KEY
2al L '~cal,'. aO/alOV

contour (2 m mterYal)
N 0 I 2 3Win -f SutllCe ol IOWll
O l p l e q - 3 me&lured
~town f r ~ Talme datum
T SCALE

T a b l e l . Description of the progradational sequence in DepSeq-2 exposed in the type section of the Carrizo Member.

Lithologic Description Environmental Interpretation

Parallel-laminated sandstone - - well sorted, coarse Swash zone, upper foreshore

grained, angular, mineralogically immature

Weakly inclined and parallel-laminated sandstone with

Transitional inner rough facies/swash zone with inter-
rhombohedral lenses of erossbedded gravel and trough
crossbedded sandstone {dips seaward 13 °) bermgravels

Bimodal pebble/cobble bed - - fining upsect|on, with trt

situ Megabalanus
Beach two gravel, infill and outer framework zones of
Bluck (1967)

Crossbedded gravel and sandstone - - dips ebliquely off:

Inner rough facies, upper shoreface, longshore transport
shore, variable, with tn situ and transported l.ithophaga
and Ostrea clams and Megabalanus dominant

tlorizontally laminated sandstone

Outer planar facies, beneath outer surf zone

Environmental interpretations based on Clilhm et al, ( 1971 ) and tiunter et al. (1979) fi)r Oregon coast barred and non-barred
beaches.
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru
gressive phase) ends with fossiliferous (Tagelus,
Mulinia, Pitar, Dosinia) silty sandstones to the west
(offshore) and alternating mudstones, sandstones,
and cobble horizons to the east (onshore). Overlying
the fine-grained deposits are highly variable co-
quinas and eroded in situ colonies of polychaetes. A
mix of species from warm- and cold-water provinces,
physical structures in the coquinas suggesting high
energy, and evidence in superjacent strata of quiet
shallow water support an interpretation that these
coquinas represent the basal lag of a barrier bar or
spit that separated cool ocean waters from warmer
lagoonal waters.
The Golf Course Member includes 2 meters of
unfossiliferous mudstone in southern Bahia Carrizo
and 2-4 meters of poorly fossilfferous siltstone in the
northern part of the bay (Fig. 9). These sediments
are thought to have been deposited in a large lagoon
during the high-stand of DepSeq-4, with circulation
restricted in the southern reaches by an offshore bar-
rier beach system and perhaps a still-emergent Cabo
Lobitos.
The E1 Nuro Member is remarkable for a single
crossbed set that covers several square kilometers
(Fig. 10). The unit, 5.6 meters thick, is composed of
well sorted fine- to m e d i u m - g r a i n e d sandstone,
moderately bioturbated (Ophiomorpha, Skolithos)
and crossbedded with translatory ripples. The atti-
tudes of the unit's thicker beds are invariant over a
wide area, dipping N50°W at an angle of 4-5 °.
Beneath the crossbed set lie 1.9 meters of ripple
cross-laminated, fine-grained sandstone and beneath
that, siltstones of the Golf Course Member. Above
the crossbed set rest thin beds of pebbly balanid
sandstones, ripple cross-laminated sandstones, and
medium-grained massive sandstones with fossils of
Tagelus, Dosinia, and Crepidula. The member ends
with several meters of well sorted, medium-grained,
laminated, Choromytilus-bearing sandstone with in-
numerable irregular tubes 3-7 mm in diameter and
decimeters long. Some tubes are Skolithos traces;
others may be root traces.
The crossbed set is thought to be a Gilbert-style
delta that extended along the axis of the Golf Course
lagoon. The combined thickness of ripple cross-lam-
inated and crossbedded sets suggests a minimum
water depth of 7.4 meters for the lagoon. Evidence of
greater agitation of sediments overlying the delta
indicates later shoaling m the consequence ofprogra-
dation or lagoonal infilling.
Bahia Taime
DepSeq-1, 2, and 3 of the Carrizo Member in Bahia
Taime are similar to those sequences in Bahia Carri-
zo, except that sedimentary structures show evidence
of greater tidal energy and shoreface agitation, pro-
bably the consequence of channeled flow along the
southwest-facing flank of Cabo El Nuro.
Bahia Taime is notable for the development of the
Golf Course lagoon (DepSeq-4, high-stand phase).
Gray and orange-yellow mottled siltstones rest upon
129
ledges of indurated shelly sandstone. The siltstone
contains a diverse molluscan fauna (Architectonica
karsteni, Amaea ferminiana, EucrassateIla gibbosa
tucilla) that differs substantially from the fauna of
shell ledges (Turritella broderipiana, Priene scabra,
Bursa ventricosa, Conus fergusoni, Anadara hop-
kinsi, Dosina ponderosa, Panopea coquirnbensis).
Associated with the ledges are complete skeletons of
cetaceans, tests of CoronuIa whale barnacles, jaws of
pinnipeds, bills of xiphosids, teeth of sharks and rays,
and bones of an extinct puffin (S. Olsen, pers. com-
mun., 1983). The concentration of v e r t e b r a t e re-
mains and diverse tropical fauna with some cold-
water elements is consistent with the protected em-
bayment interpretation derived from sediments and
stratigraphy alone.
Mancora Tablazo
Deposits of the Mancora Tablazo are thickest east
of Cabo Blanco, increasing in thickness e a s t w a r d
from 6 to 18 meters before thinning again far to the
east (onshore; Fig. 11). Three units can be identified:
a basal cobble and coquina with valves of Anadara
grandis, Choromytilus chorus, and Argopecten pur-
puratus; intervening crossbedded chalky sandstones
and banks of Ostrea megadon and large choromytilid
valves; and a cap of shelly sandstone with bryozoan-
covered muricids, thaiids, and Tegula.
Inland, where sections are thicker, the basal co-
quina is composed of tropical mollusks: Cerithium,
Olivella volutella, Conus fergusoni, and C. xirnenes.
Intermediate sandstones contain banks of Ostrea
megadon. Overlying sandstones contain shells of
Glycymeris inaequalis, Argopecten purpuratus, Dosi-
nia ponderosa, Melongena patula, and OIiva incras-
sata. Poorly sorted, poorly fossiliferous gravel and
cobbles are common locally. Balanid debris is most
common in easternmost sections.
The axial thickening of the M a n c o r a T a b l a z o
deposits east of Cabo Blanco and a high diversity of
tropical mollusks in those deposits that contrasts
with predominantly cold-water species in crossbed-
ded coquinas to the west (offshore) suggest an embay-
ment isolated from the open ocean by a discontinuous
shallow barrier. Such a history is consistent with
local tectonics (see below).
AGE
The age of the Taime Formation and y o u n g e r
tablazo deposits can be determined only from the
molluscan fauna. No organic matter remains and, in
any case, all stratigraphic units are beyond the range
of 14C dating. Shells are so badly recrystallized that
amino acid racemization dating would be futile. The
carbonate systems are too open for uranium-series
dating. Microfossils are rare; the few nearshore ben-
thic foraminifera and ostracods that were found are
not sufficiently age-diagnostic. No pollen grains
130 T, J I)EVRIES

were found in the rare beds of intertidally deposited cene record in Ecuador (Pilsbry and Olsson, 1941)
mud. Extinct species in deposits of the Mancora Tablazo
Most mollusks preserved in the Taime Formation include Cantharus elegans auus, Marginella incra,v.
are still extant. Those that are not are Pliocene sara, and Panopea simitari.~. Again, these have
species. Near Amotape, the fossil fauna o£ lower Pliocene records in Ecuador or the Galapagos Islands
Taime strata includes Chorus blainvilleL and Acan- (Dall and Oschner, 1928; Pilsbry and Olsson, 1941 i
thinucella mirablis - - two gastropods known else- In summary, it may be concluded that the age of
where only from Pliocene beds in southern Peru and the lower Taime Formation is Pliocene The P l i o
Chile (IIerm, 1969; de Muizon and I)eVries, 1985; cene/Pleistocene boundary probably lies within the
DeVries, 1985). Several extinct species were collec- El Nuro Member of the Taime Formation or deposits
ted from the Golf Course lagoonal siltstones, in- of the Mancora Tablazo, because: a) the overwhelm-
cluding Anadara hopkinsi, Eucrassatella gibbosa ing preponderance of species in younger stratigra-
tucilla, and Panopea coquimbensis - - all with a Plio- phic levels are extant, and 5) faunal and strati-

LOS ORGANOS
N o

, oss- BEoD,: //
SANDSTONES •
// /
oo
(o

S ~
cobo ALT
Blanco ~)~,~
%

/ /// ,•
/
\ ,/ / /
\,
\
F,NE / /
'\ SANDSTONE /

\
\

/ e ~SANDSTONE, ~
)W(iTH FEW. /
• FOS,SILS~ • //
/

Punto
Lobitos

KEY

// Cerros
• 8 0 / 8 1 D V LocaWty

Modem coastal feature

' 2 __e ~ Ovejo P'=~"
PWo-pletstocene coastal feature

EL A L T O Modern town
• 0 j P a ~ S based on channel axes

ISOpaCh Contour (interval

2 m) of 0oI~ C o ~ n e Memeef
0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IOkm
I ] I I I I I I I I t

[L4~ ® TALARA SCALE

Fig. 9. Areal extent and facies of the Golf Course Member {Taime Formation L
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru 131

graphic evidence suggests that nearly all widespread whose deposits contain no extinct species of mollusks,
terraces on the western coast of South America are are considered to be middle or late Pleistocene or, in
no older than latest Pliocene (see section on cor- the case of the low-lying Salina Plains, Holocene.
relation below). The ages of less elevated tablazos,

LOS
~o
/
/
/
// )
, f •

0
f'

Cabo ~o//j
Blanco \0'

C Choromytilus
sandstones

Q
°~
N-,-
0o

i!:~ 0
0

Z
• /
LJJ
• % •

Punto
Lobitos LOBITOS.,../RA

\ KEY

\. • 8 0 1 8 1 D V Locdt y

\ .~-
Isopa¢h contot=r
(5 m i n t e r v 8 0
of El Nuro Member
0
\
0

0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IOkm N
I I I I I I t I I I I /1%

SCALE
|
Fig.10. lsopachmapofEl NuroMemberanddistributionofthe lagoonaldelta. Theshadedareaiscoveredbya singlecros-bedset,5.6
metersthick,withbedsdippinguniformlynorthwest(in the south)and northeast(inthe north),generallydown-axisofthe lagoon.
LocalthickeningnortheastofE1Altomaybeduetosynsedimentarygrabenformation.
 LOS O R G ~
N

. .j-J'~ *

. */ J

Cobo
Blanco ALTO

./
/
,./
/
/ /
/ /
/ t
/ /
/ /
\
\ / /
\
• / 5

J
l¸ \ \

L~
~i¸: \ \

cobo l
Lobitos
/
nj
/
Amotape
Mountains
/

/
(b
KEY

• 80t8 IDV Locality

® TALARA ..f ISODIICh COCZtOU¢(irltervat 2 m)

0 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 IOkm of Manco¢8 TIIblllzo (s.s,)
t I I I I I l I I I I
SCALE

F i g . 1 1. l s o p a c h m a p of t h e M a n c o r a T a b l a z o . N o r t h e a s t - s o u t h w e s t t h i c k e n i n g is a t t r i b u t e d to a s y m m e t r i c uplift of the Cabo Bianco

area.

CORRELATION the coast from Ecuador to southern Chile, e x c e p t i n g

central Peru. In most cases, the Pliocene sequences
Epochs of the Cenozoic are not represented equally are truncated by wave-abraded Pleistocene platforms
or e v e n in proportion to their temporal s p a n by which, in turn, are blanketed by a veneer of coarse-
marine deposits along the coast of Peru. Paleocene grained bioclastic and siliciclastic debris raised lO0
and Oligocene m a r i n e s e d i m e n t s are particularly meters or more above sea level. Deposits of the
scarce (Anon., 1977). Pliocene marine sediments, on Taime Formation and younger tablazos can be cor-
the other hand, occur discontinuously along much of related with these Pliocene-Pleistocene sequences.
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru
Caldas et al. (1980) applied the name HorniUos
Formation (Fig. 12) to deposits previously assigned to
the Sochura Formation (Iddings and Olsson, 1928}.
The molluscan fauna from cliffside exposures at Pai-
ta includes typically cold-water Pliocene species
(Chlamys vidali, Acanthinucella mirabilis) as well as
cooler-water species (Gari solida, Diplodonta incon-
spicua) and warmer-water species (Turritella gono-
stoma) that characterize Pliocene and Quaternary
deposits. Coastal outcrops of fossiliferous Hornillos
sandstone have no contemporaneous counterpart
north of the Rio Chira. Inland deposits of diatoma-
ceous siltstone commonly assigned to the Hornillos
Formation do lie closer to Taime sandstones north of
the Rio Chira, but an examination of a sandier Hor-
nillos facies at Punta Arenal failed to reveal mol-
lusks that might permit a direct correlation with
Taime sandstones across the Rio Chira.
Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits alike disappear
on the submergent central Peruvian margin south of
Bayovar and do not re-emerge until the latitude of
Pisco (~13°30'S). Throughout much of the Pisco and
Sacaco Basins, late Pliocene tuffaceous, diatomace-
ous siltstones and coarse-grained basal sandstones
constitute the uppermost beds of the late Miocene-
Pliocene Pisco Formation (Ruegg, 1957; de Muizon
and DeVries, 1985). Farther south, marine sand-
stones with Pliocene mollusks have been referred to
the La Planchada Formation (Beaudet et al., 1976).
Certain elements of the southern Peruvian mollus-
can fauna appear in the Hornillos or Taime Forma-
tions (C hlamys, Dosinia, C hionopsis, AcanthinuceUa,
Chorus).
AGE I NW PERU '1 SECHURA 21 SACACO
W
Z
Ul
O
O
W
_1
W pression east of El Alto that opened to the southwest.
Z
Ill
O
o_
--I
n
UJ
Z
Ill
O
_o
=Z
W
I-
.J
1. This paper. 3. de Mulzon and OeVtles, 1989.
4. Beaudel el sl., 1976
2. Caldal el al., 1980.
Fig. 12. Correlationof late Neogeneand Quaternary marine
depositsofPeru.
133
The oldest widespread marine terrace in the Pisco
and Sacaco Basins has a molluscan fauna composed
principally of characteristically Quaternary species
(e.g., Mulinia edulis, Thais chocolata, Oliva peruvi-
ana), but it also contains species previously recog-
nized (Philippi, 1887; Moricke, 1896; Herm, 1969) as
exclusively Pliocene (AcanthinuceUa cf. philippi,
Amiantis domeykoana) and undescribed endemic
species (Anadara, Trachycardium, CyclineUa, Acan-
thins). The ratio of extant species to Pliocene species
and short-lived endemic species together (~10:1) is
about the same for the Mancora Tablazo and Pisco
high terrace.
The basis for all molluscan correlation of late
Cenozoic strata south of Cabo Blanco, Peru (4°15'S)
has been the occurrence of a well preserved fauna
along the coast of central and northern Chile (Philip-
pi, 1887; Herm, 1969). Pliocene deposits replete with
species of Chlamys and Chorus are succeeded by
Pleistocene terrace deposits containing abundant
Argopecten, Mulinia, Mesodesma, and Thais. Potas-
sium-argon dating of Pliocene beds in southern Peru
(de Muizon and Bellon, 1980) and correlation with
contiguous diatom-bearing strata in the Pisco Basin
(H. Schrader, pets. commun., 1987) confirm a Plio-
cene age for the older fauna.
TECTONICS
The neotectonics of the tablazos have been
considered by DeVries (1984). The coastal plain
north of the Rio Chira (eastern edge of the Talara
Basin; see Thornburg and Kulm, 1981} was sub-
mergent to a lesser extent and for less time than the
immediately adjacent coastal plain between the Rio
31 CAMANA ' Chira and Bayovar (the Sechura Basin; see Caldas et
al., 1980) and the coastal plain of south-central Peru
(de Muizon and DeVries, 1985). All areas, however,
became widely emergent at about the same time
latest Pliocene/early Pleistocene. West of the Amo-
tape Mountains, uplift was greatest at the latitude of
Cabo Blanco and progressively less to the south. Up-
lift was also greater along the present coast than
against the foothills of the Amotape Mountains. The
result of this pattern of uplift was a north-south de-
The fact that fossiliferous marine deposits are thic-
kest along the axis of this depression (see Fig. 11)
shows that this uplift had begun while the present
coastal plain was still submergent.
LATE CENOZOIC P A L E O G E O G R A P H I C
DEVELOPMENT
Depositional Model
Northwestern Peru is situated at the juncture of
two Andean structural trends (Shepherd and Mober-
ly, 1981), on the leading edge of the South American
plate (Thornburg and Kulm, 1981), and at the boun-
1~4 T. d I)EVRIES
dary of arid and humid climatic zones (Schwerdt-
feger, 1976). The tectonic and climatic history of the
area during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, revolving
subduction and orogeny on the one hand and a shif-
ting intertropical convergence zone on the other
hand, can be used to explain patterns of successive
depositional environments that have no exact coun-
terpart elsewhere on the western shores of the
Americas.
The three genetic phases ofdepositional sequences
in the Taime Formation - - transgressive, high-stand,
regressive/progradational - - are represented, respec-
tively, by coarse-grained, bioelastic-rich sandstone,
gravel, and conglomerate; fossiliferous sandy silt-
stone; and fine-grained sandstone with in situ pele-
cypods. Stratigraphic thicknesses corresponding to
the three phases, a subject of some debate for Cali-
fornia deposits (e.g., Bourgeois, 1980; Clifton, 1981),
depend in northern Peru on the rate of subsidence
(low; total thicknesses of depositional sequences are
generally less than 20 meters and no environments
deeper than the inner shelf are represented), rate of
sediment influx (low along Peru's arid coast, al-
though episodically high when El Niflo flood waters
flush windblown dust, sand, and alluvium from coas-
tal canyons), and local paleogeography (along an
embayed shoreline, deposits of the transgressive
phase are locally preserved). Usually, deposits of the
regressive/progradational phase are thickest
Compared with Pliocene or Pleistocene marine lit-
toral deposits of Oregon and California, those of the
Taime Formation and various tablazos are coarser
grained and have a higher shell content. The former
difference may reflect a scarcity of chemically wea-
thered fine-grained sediment on the arid coastal
plain of Peru and the proximity and elevation of
sources of gravel and cobbles (the Amotape and An-
dean Mountains; see Bosworth, 1922). The abun-
dance of shells, often occurring as nearly monospe-
cifie accumulations of Choromytilus chorus, Glycy-
meris ovata, Argopecten purpuratus, Transennella
pannosa, or Mulinia edulis, may represent mass mor-
tality events in the wake of E1 Nifio, as has been
documented in southern Peru following the 1982-
1983 E1Niflo (Arntz, 1986).
Compared with late Cenozoic deposits of southern
Peru (de Muizon and DeVries, 1985), those of nor-
thern Peru are more often coarser grained and dis-
play more physical structures. The finer-grained
sediments in the Pisco and Saeaco Basins reflect the
addition of contemporaneous volcanic ash delivered
from 100-200 km inland (Dalmayrac e t a [ , 1980).
The preponderance of large physical structures in
northern Peru (e.g., trough crossbed sets 0.3-1.0 m
thick with an average grain size of 3-4 mm) may be
an effect of available grain size or the consequence of
stror, ger unidirectional flow, itself the consequence of
greater tidal influence or frequent El Nifio floods.
The c'~eply and widely dissected deposits of the
Taime Formation and tablazos show well that litho-
facies vary alongshore and offshore for any given
water depth according to local paleogeography.
Because of this lateral variation, transgressio~ ~ f
regression) does not necessarily engender a corre~,~
ponding shift of lithofacies if the coastline is a d v a n
cing or retreating across a coastal plain with signi-
ficant relief, tligh-stand sublittoral substrates in the
lee of headlands will differ from low-stand sublittora]
substrates beyond the protection of stranded head-
]ands, both because of the varying energies sub
strates at opposite sea level stands are subjected to,
and because the coarsest sediment (cobbles, balanid
debris) tends to become trapped closest~ i.o its source
Paleogeographic Development
During the Pliocene, the Sechura Basin was an
inland sea, protected seaward from the onslaught of
Pacific swells by two islands composed of Paleozoic
crystalline rock and a peninsula composed of Ter-
tiary sedimentary rock (Fig. 13). Late in the Pliocene
or early in the Pleistocene, subsidence extended from
the Sechura Basin northward to the town of Mancora
(Fig. 14). For the first time since the late Eocene or
early Oligocene, the eastern margin of the Tatara
Basin was inundated to the foothills of the Amotape
Mountains.
Initially, the coastline north of the Rio Chira was
irregular, reflecting topographic irregularities of the
long exposed and extensively faulted coastal plain.
Successive marine transgressions crossed a coastal
plain with less and less relict Paleogene topography.
The flux of sediments to small spit-contained bays
appears not to have been great, given the relatively
thin units of fine-grained rock associated with trans-
gressive-progradational sequences and the minor
dilution by silt or sand of thick cobble and bioclastic
transgressive and progradational beds.
At the time DepSeq 4 began to form, the flux of
sediment to the northern Peruvian coast accelerated
or the removal of such sediment decelerated. Thick
sequences of siltstone and sandstone characterize the
Golf Course and E1 Nuro Members of the Taime For-
mation and the uppermost part of the H o r n i l l o s
Formation at Paita. In part, this accelerated sedi-
mentation may be attributed to the onset of coastal
uplift and the rejuvenation of Andean and Amota-
pean terranes. At the same time, the a s y m m e t r y of
the u p l i f t - more rapid seaward than landward - -
created embayments (the Golf Course lagoon, the
Mancora Tablazo lagoon, perhaps the Sechura em-
bayment) that captured windblown and flood-borne
sediment.
During the early Pleistocene, continued uplift of
the Peruvian margin coupled with rapid eustatic sea-
level changes caused the a b a n d o n m e n t of tectoni-
cally created embayments and inland seas. Deposi-
tion on briefly submerged Pleistocene abraded plat-
forms was limited to gravelly coquina and angular
cobbly alluvium washed across alluvial plains from
the Amotape Mountains, with locally well developed,
sandy depositional sequences characteristic of wave--
dominated beach and inner shelf.
 The geology of late Cenozoic marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru 135

ports of terraces near E1 Alto younger than the Man-

Amotape cora Tablazo but older than the T a l a r a T a b l a z o
Mountains (Cherry, 1953) were confirmed in only one case.
The Taime Formation may be correlated with the
Hornillos Formation in the adjacent Sechura Basin,
5os
- -

U~ the uppermost Pisco Formation in the Pisco and Sa-

Pair
oo ~, caco Basin, the La Planchada Formation in southern-
Isla o
most Peru, and upper Pliocene deposits throughout
northern and central Chile. The Mancora Tablazo is
"0 correlative with the similarly named tablazo in the
g. ..~
Sechura Basin, with the highest terraces of the Pisco
and Sacaco Basins, and with the oldest Pleistocene
deposits of Chile.
Boyovor

Isla 0
--6°5 ~ ~ " 1\ 1 Illescos (o Acknowledgements--This study constitutes part of a doctoral
dissertation completed at the Institute of Polar Studies (now the
"13 Byrd Polar Research Center) at The Ohio State University. I am
0 grateful for the advice of W. J. Zinsmeister and C. E. Macellari.
N Logistical support in the field was provided by M. Martinez and J.

d
*]1(-Sections
~ Lo]
de Tierro
Cruzado, both of PetroPeru, H. Gonzales of BELCO Petroleum, J.
Swarbrick and E. Hering, both of Occidental Petroleum, and many
employees of GEOPET, particularly H. Polar and M. Leon. M. van
Heeswijk kindly reviewed the manuscript. R e s e a r c h w a s sup-
ported by an NSF Doctoral Fellowship and a Shell Graduate Fel-
lowship.
0 40
km Lobos
de Afuera
SlOW I
I 80°W
°S Moncor8 1 ° t

Fig. 13. Inland sea of the Sechura Basin during the Pliocene.

SUMMARY / •A AMountains
•
Arnotape

The Mancora Tablazo of Bosworth (1922) should

be divided into the Taime Formation and the Man-
cora Tablazo (s.s.). Three members can be recognized
in the former. The basal Carrizo Member consists of
fossiliferous marine sandstones with interbedded
Poita
dl
\
coquinas, cobbles, and gravels that can be used to
define four depositional sequences. Abundant evi- Poita
dence was found of wave-dominated shoreface and
foreshore deposition, as well as of tidally influenced
deposition (C. Peterson, pers. commun., 1986) that
may have resulted from the passage of water across Bo,
barrier bar systems. The last sequence includes the
intermediate Golf Course Member, characterized by Islo
-6os Illescos
lagoonal siltstones, and the upper El Nuro Member,
characterized by crossbedded and well sorted sand-
stones. The age of the lower strata is late Pliocene;
upper beds are probably early Pleistocene.
The Mancora Tablazo (s.s.) is a sheet of coquina Lobos
and chalky sandstone that unconformably downcuts de Tierro
the Taime Formation. It thickens east of E1 Alto
where a structurally controlled lagoon was created 0 60 C hi
during early stages of early Pleistocene uplift. km

The Talara and Lobitos Tablazos are less extensive Lobos de Afuera
I • I
and not as thick as the Mancora Tablazo. Coarse-
grained bioclastic deposits are prevalent in both
younger tablazos. New outcrops of the Talara Tabla- Fig. 14. Extent of submergence of the Sechura Basin and land-
zo were discovered east of Los Organos. Earlier re- ward edge of the Talara Basin during the earliest Pleistocene.
!:~i~ F .] J)~:VRms
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Rendu Sommaires Societe Geologique de France 1976 {1 ), 12-13.
Bluck, B. J., 1967. Sedimentation of beach gravels: Examples
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